The new Subaru XV and Holden Astra sedan have hit the New Zealand new car market with an impressive 5 star ANCAP safety rating.

Both vehicles did well across the various crash scenarios and tests, providing high standards of safety for the driver and passengers of either car.

Most notable was the XV’s high pedestrian protection score, with the Astra not far behind.

“It’s good to see more and more vehicles entering our national fleet that take into account the safety of all our different road users,” says AA Motoring Services General Manager Stella Stocks.

“Both cars would make safe family vehicles and come with a fair amount of safety assist technologies, but we would have liked to see AEB at least as an option on higher variants of the Astra.

“Manufacturers will need to start including AEB as standard sooner rather than later as rating requirements become more stringent next year,” she says.

Automatic Emergency Braking can go a long a way in preventing a crash by automatically engaging the brakes of a vehicle when it senses a hazard within critical range.

The 5 star ratings apply to all sedan variants of the Holden Astra and all variants of the Subaru XV.

The Australasian New Car Assessment Programme tests for the safety of vehicle occupants and pedestrians, as well as outlines the safety assist technologies included in the vehicle.

The full list of ANCAP’s vehicle safety ratings, other vehicle safety information and the specifications of the rated vehicles are available online at ancap.co.nz or rightcar.govt.nz.

ANCAP is supported by all Australian motoring clubs, the New Zealand Automobile Association, the Australian Government, the New Zealand Government, Australian state and territory governments, the Victorian Transport Accident Commission, NRMA Insurance and the FIA Foundation.